Giant Barcodes. Lines of Seating at the baths. 

We have multi-tasking and now role of check-out chick is added to our list. A while ago DIY scanning at the supermarket finally reached Newcastle. An assistant is assigned to ease the process and today, the assistant was run off her feet because of multiple little failures in the system and she fumed about technical issues beyond her control.

Don't accidentally bump any sensitive spots on the console because the response is rapid and means another plea for some slight of hand to reset the works.

Scanning rage is recorded and I heard about a beginner who was charged for thumping the machine and went to court but there were no consequences.

With time the task becomes easier but still there are hitches whether it's the scales need zeroing, unnecessary signature is requested, cash transaction failure, debit card use goes ratty but a smooth run is stress free.  Woolworths reliability is better than Coles but there's not much in it and Coles provide more space to work on.

Still in S E Asia. See orangutangs at little Bukit Lewang, Sumatera.  

One another note, local villages would be celebrating the end of Ramadan, as do others around the globe.

 Ahh nature!  Another spin-off from our notorious live cattle export to Asia? from scarce timber resources? from child labour? from paltry wages?  In the city: Genuine (!) cow hide rugs from $499 limited time only. ...From a shop that gathers 'wow' factor pieces from travel to a list of places in Asia and beyond.  

Laman Street, Newcastle. A birds eye view upon climbing one of the notorious trees - just joking! The trees in Laman Street have a short reprieve...again... 

Lower photo: tree protestors last Sunday.  

Tree loving protestors gathered in Civic Park in response to the plan to remove the Laman Street grove of trees.   The trees have been the subject of a hugh amount of debate for a long time. 

It must be time for an urban Fig Tree ballad to germinate. Rock a bye baby on the tree top....

The overall plan for a creative space to take the place of the trees, if and when they go, is of enormous interest.  Will it be done with flair and imagination?  

Darkness and light, mindfulness and impermanency, swept adrift like a sand mandala.

From Buddism to Christianity to a unique church cluster on the village green at Morpeth, gone, all gone to a developer -  although preservation orders are in place.  Not your everyday scene graced with a sandstone residence from earliest times, with community buildings, retreats, chapel, a green oval and old shade trees looking out over fields beside the Hunter river. 

Now a new housing development spreads close by.  Seniors can't resist the pressure to move out of their carefree home into a carefree village lifestyle and oblige the developers. Change is constant. Eventually all the housing for seniors will become redundant because an ageing population is not a permanent feature.  Or is it? 

Residential areas need holistic planning over the Hunter area to guard against it becoming a wall to wall housing estate. This is nothing new to the planners. Good planning is vital but the need is so widespread over the east coast, for a start, only so much will be done and at the same time there is originality in crude haphazard development.

Proactive innovation in the Hunter would see new centres built offering quality apartments in high density areas and built well before other citizens move in and voice their opposition. Start from scratch like many other have dreamed before this. 

Just imagine young families flocking to an alternative new tall city with good infastructure that offers sustainablity and supports a good lifestyle consistent with sane community life and with employment close by, not 100 clicks distant and with adequate transport.

With decent planning, enough space would remain to allow for peaceful natural areas and agricultural lands in perpetuity.  Who am I kidding?  

A postcard arrived from Tibet which is another place of great altitude.  Visitors are immersed into Buddhism, stupas and lamaseries. 

It's possible to slake wanderlust with several epic films that depict parts of the Himalaya region.  Fascinating insights abound whether or not there is authenticity in these stories.  

Kundun from Scorsese has a Dalai Lama theme with mysticism and edgy rituals. Amazing.

Seven Years in Tibet with Brad.

Little Budda.  Bhutan on show, from memory.

Lost Horizon 1937 directed by Capra is a classic film of Shangri La. Seen possibly on late night movies in fearless black and white.  

Other subtitled movies and docos have other revelations.

These are hugh and curious movies, but, if anything, imparted some negative feelings around that belief system, never the less, it still holds my political sympathy and interest.

Man shed?  Small suburban home gets a new block-buster garage. Seems unusual to erect this shed in the existing surroundings which are neat, low rise and conservative.